Discolored Grill

I have a 2004 AWD Pacifica and the grill has been discoloring recently.  I tried Meguiars PlastX to freshen it up and it didn't do much good.
 
Some questions:
1.  Is this a common problem?  Is there any tsb(s) about it?
2.  Is there a better product to try to bring it back to life?
3.  I see tons of aftermarket grills on ebay.  Has anyone tried any of these?  Is it an easy swap?
 
Thanks.

What color is it and how is it discolored?  Has it faded or is it more of a moisture type stain?

It was originally a grey or black with chrome stips.  It has a faded look.  It is consistant across the whole grill so I dont think it is chemical.  The car is garaged other than when my wife has it at school (teacher).  All the other black plastic looks good (bumpers and such).  Thanks, Joe.

i didn't see any tsb on the problem.not a common problem.when you park it in the garage are you facing anything that would cause harm to the face of the car ?moe

quote:

ORIGINAL: moe

i didn't see any tsb on the problem.not a common problem.when you park it in the garage are you facing anything that would cause harm to the face of the car ?moe

 
No, I dont think so.  It is parked by my tool bench, but there is enough room for me to get in there and get at stuff without moving the car, so it's not really nosed up to anything.  Thanks for checking tsb's.  I might try one of the billet grills on ebay!  It is bad enough that is easily noticable and the rest of the car looks great, so really stands out!

That is a tough one, I do not have a suggestion for you.  I have had to remove moisture type stains with rubbing compound but that is not the problem with yours.  Sorry, can't help you, but sounds like a great excuse for a billet grill.

quote:

ORIGINAL: United1

snip....  but sounds like a great excuse for a billet grill.

 
LOL!  Yeah, I will probably go that route.

sounds like colsar likes idea of a new billet grill!!!lol

I have the same problem with the grill on my '05 and it only has 24K on it. It looks like when there is wax build up on black plastic. Kind of faded. The chrome strips look brand new but if you look beyond the strips you can see that the plastic looks faded. Come spring when I detail the Pac I'll see if anything will help it look better. Maybe it is wax build up but I doubt it.

I have a 2004 Pacifica with the same problem. The front grill looks all chalky. I found a product call Mothers Back to Black. It is supposed to be a plastic restorer. My Dad used a similar product on his motor home with fantastic results. I have't had a chance to use it yet because of the weather and I don't have a garage. I'm gonna use it here soon and I will post the results he hopefully soon. I'll let ya know.

P.S. I found it at Advance Auto Parts. About $8

Bob

My 2004 is doing the same thing as we as the headlight lenses have gotten hazy.  I used some Meguiars Plastic Cleaner and Polish with a foam pad in an orbital buffer and cleaned up the headlights.  I have not done anything with the grille yet.